Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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322. To ask the Minister for Health if there are plans to expand the Covid vaccination programme to very vulnerable children under 12 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51823/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland’s COVID-19 vaccination programme strategy is based on the principles of safety, effectiveness and fairness, with the objective of reducing severe illness, hospitalisations and deaths from COVID-19 infection.

The immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). The Committee's recommendations are based on the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland and international best practices in relation to immunisation.

The NIAC review all data relating to COVID-19 vaccines on a rolling basis. Following the recommendation for use of vaccines against COVID-19 by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and authorisation for use by the European Commission, the NIAC develops guidance for their use in Ireland which is contained in the Immunisation Guidelines for Ireland. These guidelines are continuously updated and include guidance on all new vaccines as they are approved for use in Ireland.

You can read the guidelines at: www.hse.ie/eng/health/immunisation/hcpinfo/guidelines/covid19.pdf.

There are currently no vaccines authorised for use for those aged under 12 years old. Children have different reactions to medications and vaccinations, so conducting clinical trials specific to that population is important to fully understand the benefits and potential side effects of COVID-19 vaccines in this group.

The EMA is currently evaluating an application to extend the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to children aged 5 to 11. The EMA's human medicine committee (CHMP) will review the data on the vaccine, including results from an ongoing clinical study involving children aged 5-11, in order to decide whether to recommend extending its use.

Non-pharmaceutical interventions including social distancing, hand hygiene, good respiratory etiquette and ventilation, as well as vaccinating as many adults and adolescents as possible will all help lower case rates amongst younger children.